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FuturLab and theOxford Internet Institute of Oxford University have revealed the results of an international study showing mood improvement during the game sessions. The data was collected by players PowerWash Simulator who voluntarily participated in a special edition of game research.
The study, freely available HERE, analysed data 67,328 game sessionsInvolving 8,695 players from 39 countries. Overall, 162.325 mood reports were recorded during the game sessions. The results show that the 72% of players reported mood improvement during the game, with a significant increase already after the first 15 minutes.
The research, conducted by the team led by the professor Empty mats of the University of Tilburg and associate researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, focused on mood changes in real gaming contexts, rather than in laboratory environments. This natural approach has allowed us to examine how the game in a daily context can positively affect the mood of players. Commenting on the results, the researcher Nick Ballou has emphasized how the study confirms what many players have always reported: video games can improve mood and help manage everyday stress.
The study is the first of its kind to monitor mood changes in real time during the game sessions, thanks to a special edition of the game that integrated mood feedback requests without interfering with the gaming experience. The final result shows that, despite being a single game, PowerWash Simulator can be considered a recovery activity that helps manage mood fluctuations, opening the road to new research on the effects of video games in general.
